Sign structure



Sept. 15, 1953 J. A. HOWENSTINE SIGN STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 15, 1951 INVENTOR,

BY JAMES A. HOWENSTINE Patented Sept. 15, 1953 2,651,863 SIGN STRUCTURE James A. Howenstine, Lima, Ohio, assignor to Neon Products, Inc., Lima, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 15, 1951, Serial No. 241,981

1 Claim.

This invention relates to signs or display devices and more particularly to a device having a plastic panel provided with means for edge-lighting the border and portions within the same and for directly lighting portions within the border.

An object of this invention is to provide a sign structure having a panel so arranged that by means of a single lamp the border of the panel may be edge-lighted and portions within the border be directly lighted thereby.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sign structure or display that comprises a flat transparent plastic panel of the type having a beveled edge border, an elongated opening in the panel, an elongated light tube in the slot and housings covering the slot and tube, one of which housings may be translucent, whereby the beveled border is edge-lighted and other portions are illuminated by piped and direct lighting.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will in part be apparent and will in part be obvious from the following detailed description, and the drawing, in which:

Figure l is a view in side elevation of a sign constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the rear housing of the sign panel showing electrical fittings mounted thereon and showing the wiring diagram of the sign structure schematically;

Fig. 3 is a view in section taken along a line IIL LII in Fig. 1; and

Fig. i is a View in side elevation of the transparent panel of the present sign structure, the panel being shown without indicia.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the sign structure includes a flat panel 10 having an elongated slot 5 therein over which are mounted hollow front and rear housings I2 and I3. Panel is formed of transparent material such as the methyl methacrylate resin commonly known as Lucite and Plexiglas. An elongated light tube [4, of the fluorescent type is mounted in slot or opening I I. As shown in Fig. 3, housings I2 and I3 are bolted to panel it by bolts [6 and I1.

Rear housing I3 forms a support for the electrical fittings of the sign structure. These fittings include lamp l4, lamp terminals and supports l9 and a transformer 2| and starter 22, all of which are conventional in nature. As shown in 3,. lamp it is centered in opening or slot it so that the axis of the lamp falls in the plane of panel it. The edges of opening ll extend perpendicularly of the panel faces so that the panel receives edge illumination from lamp [4.

The outer or peripheral edge of panel it is beveled as indicated at 23. The beveled edge 23 is edge-lighted by light that is piped from lamp It through the panel It, whereby the beveled edge glows as though coated with bright paint, thereby forming an attractive border for panel til.

Panel It may be provided with appropriate indicia 24 As indicated in Fig. 3, indicia 2 are painted on the rear surface of panel it]. The indicia 2:; are illuminated partly by edge illumination. The beveled edge 23 reinforces the illumination of the indicia. 2 by reflecting the light impinging thereon back into the panel.

Rear housing may be formed of opaque material. Front housing It, on the other hand, is formed of translucent material, such as white pigmented methyl methacrylate resin. Additional indicia 25 are painted on the face of housing 13. The indicia 253 are directly illuminated by the lamp i i. The under side of housing 52 passes light which serves to provide direct illumination of the face of panel it and the indicia thereon.

The sign is adapted to hang with panel it in an upright position on hangers 2?. carried by bolts it. The sign can be hung from any appropriate support by means of hangers 2i.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4=,the beveled edge 23 extends rearwardly and inwardlyso that, when the sign is viewed from the front, the illuminated beveled edge is seen through panel Hi. The beveled edge forms a decorative illuminated edge for the sign and also serves to reinforce the illumination of indicia i l (see Fig. 3).

The sign structure described above and illustrated in the drawing is subject to structural modification without departing from the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A sign structure comprising an upright fiat panel of transparent, light-piping material, there being an elongated aperture in said panel the edges of which aperture are perpendicular to the plane of the panel, an elongated lamp in said aperture, the longitudinal axis of the lamp being in the plane of the panel, whereby light from the lamp is transmitted through edges of the aperture into the body of the panel, a hollow housing of translucent material attached to the front face of the panel to cover the lamp and close the front side of the aperture, the lower side or" said housing being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the panel, there being an indicia.-carrying pro- Hangers 27 are i 3 jection on the panel below the aperture, and paint Number indicia on the rear face of the panel below the 1,809,243 housing, the indicia being illuminated by light 1,933,216 from the lamp transmitted through the panel, 2,140,301 the front face of the panel being illuminated by 5 2,499,824 light from the lower face of the housing.

JAMES A. HOWENS'I'INE. Number References C1ted m the file of this patent 123,609

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date 1,349,241 Walsh Aug. 10, 1920 Name Date Kirk June 9, 1931 Juhasz Oct. 31, 1933 Regester Dec. 13, 1938 Haecker Mar. 7, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Switzerland Dec. 1, 1927 

